Sample taking projectile



18, 1954 A M. P. LEBouRG. f 2,678,804

' SAMPLE TAKING PROJECTILE original Filed June 9; 1944 Y 2 sheets-sheet 1 FIGJ'. 2.4 y v|162.

lNvENTR. MAURICE P. LEBOURG SA'rToRNEYS.

M. P. LEBOU RG May'18,1954

i SAMPLE TAKING PROJECTILE rignal- FiledJune 9; 1944 "FIG-.5.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENToR.

MAURICE P. LEBOURG HIS ATTORNEYS.

Patented May 18, 1954 SAMPLEITKINGIRQJECTILE.

Maurice Eeliourg, Houston;,'1ex.;assignor. to2

SclilinnbergerY Well Surveying: (torporation; liimistom.. 'Eexw af; 1 corporationz of: 'BelatwareJ Grignal application June 9;'. 191ML Serial" No;

5392415., Divided and this-application'January" 122'; E950; Seriaif'Nos-138,165

This@ inventionV relates to'l devices for.'l taking samples ot' the 1 formations traversed? byftarbore liple;jsuchL as; for' example; that produced. in; the drilling-'of anoil welll-or thelike'.- Morezspecically; it has-tado with new improvedeproj eutiles fb'rusesin' devices;

In 'thevappli'cants copendingA application Serial'fNo. 5392415; i'iledlJunefQ, l944',.or"Side-`Wa11 Sample'Ta-ker," now Patent No.- 2,5li1,408i, granted Juner13`, 1'950. ofJ whichv thev presenti. application is` a division, is disclosed a sample taking-tool or'gun with-a powder chamber which-isi disposed between the=ends'of the' sample takingxprojectile and* at leastparti'all'y surrounds the projectile.

The pressure'Y derived from the-explosiva charge l'sf'applied; toa shoulder formed' on the: periphery" of theprojectile' rather than to` the'v endy of the1 proecti'le: The-bore or aperture for receivingr theprojectile preferably extends.- completelyf'tliroughA the tool' and'- the boreandi projectile area so'constructedas to` provide opposed shoulders defining an annularl space or chamber' for receiving the explosive charge;v

Samplex takingtools of this-v typev have the advantage that a sample takingv projectile may be used' therein thatli's substantially as: longf as the diameter-` of the sampletaking gun and thus arecapable'of taking-'asample 50fto10'0% larger than'isfpossible withthe projectiles usedl i'n conventi'onal sample takingV guns of the same external dimensions' 'sample taking;` apparatus off the type describedf above, the projectile isv secured? to= the sampling deviceby' a retrieving meansl suclifasa cable' or: a spring" which is preferablyattached to the.7 rear-endi of: the projectile. With this construction, the outside diameter'of the forward end' ofthe' projectile may be reduced and" the projectile can penetrate into the formation more readily4 or. a smaller explosive charge' may be used, to. produce, the desired' penetration. This application is addressed specifically to projectiles of.' this. character.

An, object. of the, invention is to provide a. sample taking projectile.that` can penetrate the fmsmations.1 more.A easily and canv be. withdrawn fromathelformations, with; less. diiiiculty than prior types:y ofr sampling projectiles.

Qtler; objects of the: inventionwill'. become: apparentA trouv. the:- following description of typicallqform's': of' projectiles: embodyingi the.- inventien; taken in con-junction with the accompanyina drawings-r. in; which:

Fig. 1- i's aside viewof a typical form of' saml ple-taking device embodying sample taking"- projectiles constructed accordingv to the present' in- Fie... 2' is. `ajview 'in section taken' in line; 2;-2. of'Fl'g. 1;'

Eig;v 3 is'azzview" in. section. taken. on. line"` M onFi'gf...2.;.

Figa-.isa perspective view oi.v a typical; form of explosive;l charge unit. or cartridge used in: the samplataking deviceg:

Ele. 53 `ista view-s' cross-section throught the device; showing a., modiiiedl type of. proj ectilel for the? device and liig';4 (i. is a view cross-section throughy the deviceillustratingl another type. of projectile for thegun:

TheY sample taking device. illustrated in Figs. I and2 of the. drawings includes azcap member Ill provide'diwith an internally threadeds. recess lllaswliiclri's securedrtlo a tool or gun body lil of generally cylindrical.V shapef and of.'l a; sizefy adapted teiit'y within a. bore hole.. The tool body I-.lzfis provided. with. an externallyv threaded portion I Is'aM which4 is: adapted. to be threaded; into the cap: member lll.. The lower endl of the bodyflfl is. provided with an; internally. threaded.A recess I-'lbi which is complemental to. thev externally threadedportion l-la and. thereby permitsza'iseries oi" such tool bodies; H'. to be connected; end toend'. As illustrated, the lower. endoi :the to;ol body" Il'. may be provided with a. bulletenosed portion` l2 Which-is threaded into the-recess: lilfb.

The. above-described assembly or a. plurality ofthe toolA bodies.. Hf' may be lowered'intoor-:withdrawnl from: a bore holeby means of-` avcableswl which is'` provided' with one or more: electrical conductors Hl'.

As: shown: particularly in'. Figs. 2.' andi. 3;v the bod-'yf'l l? of the tool is. provided withv a'. plurality y of transverse apertures I.5 extending completely therethrough. forming gun. bores; for-- receiving sample. taking projectiles. The third aperture'- |51.I from the top'y inFig. Ziaces in. such a. directionthat: the projectile therein will, be dischar-gediinthe. same; direction asv the projectile in the topmost aperture' l5. The second. and fourth apertures l5 from the top' in Fig; 2. are faced' inl the opposite'direction so that; the projectiles'therein are projected' fromv the opposite side: of" the gun4 body.` Il. Inasmuch as.v alli of the apertures; l5.. are essentially the samej. only Oneof'theSef apertures will be described? herein. 'Ile-aperture-` |51 isl provided' with a portion t'of smaller diameter, a larger diameter portion-l1 andi any intermediate shoulder' i8,

One' type-*of sampling device suitable foruse i'n thetool' may consist of tubular projectile 59- having a reduced cylindricalA outer sur-face portion ila fitting thel portion It of' the'- aperture; The forward end lh of the projeetileis tapered inwardly from ashoulder portion ttc extending circumferentially' or: the'y projectile vat substantially'a. right "angle to the' axis othe-pro jectll'e:

Theprojectile-l-B alsocarries a detachablering ducting pin 32 that is carried in the upper end- -lcome a.. tedious operation.

ld of substantially L-shaped cross-section which is adapted to abut against the shoulder iBc, overlie a portion of the tapered surface I9b and t closely against the wall of the aperture portion Il.

When the projectile I9 is substantially centered in the gun body I I, an annular space for reception of an explosive charge device or cartridge 28 is left between the ring I9d and the shoulder I8 and between the enlarged diameter portion I'l and the reduced cylindrical portion I9a of the projectile I9.

The cartridge for expelling the projectile I9 may be of a type disclosed in Fig. 4. The cartridge may have a casing formed of one or more arcuate sections, but preferably'r includes an annular casing 26a formed of Celluloid or a synthetic plastic or other thin destructible material. This casing is adapted to be partially or completely filled with a suitable explosive such as gun powder. Also disposed within the chamber and in contact with the explosive is an ignition filament 2l which is connected to suitable contacts 22 and 22a that are exposed externally of the casing 20a. The diameter of the lament or the material of which the filament is formed may vary and preferably the laments of different cartridges will require currents of diiferent values to cause the filaments to glow.

In order to retrieve the projectiles I9 after they have been driven into the side wall of the bore hole, the projectiles may be connected to the sample tool body II by means of a suitable iiexible member such as, for example, the cable 23, illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The projectile t!! may be provided with a cross piece 24 which is pivotally connected to the rear portion of the projectile by means of a pair of stud shafts 25 and 26 threaded through the wall of projectile I9, as shown in Fig. 3. One end of the cable 23 is connected to the cross piece in any suitable way and may be coiled in a recess 2l concentric with the aperture I5. The opposite` end of the cable 23 may be provided with a lug 28 that is detachably fastened to the tool body I I.

The opposite end of the gun bore or aperture I5 may also be enlarged in order to facilitate insertion of the cartridge 20 and the projectile I9.

In order to actuate the gun from the surface of the earth, the conductor I4 may be led into the 'f cap I and connected to a pin 30 which is insulated from the cap and is received in an insulating bushing 3I in the upper end of the body The pin 30 makes contact with another conof the body II and is insulated therefrom by a suitable bushing 33. The lower end of the pin 32 is adapted to engage one of the contacts 22 or 22a of the cartridge 20. The other contact of the cartridge is adapted to engage another pin 34 that is insulated from the gun body by a suitable insulating bushing 35. this latter pin engaging a contact of the next lower explosive charge device 20. Similar insulated contact pins 36 and 31 are provided along the axis of the body I I depending upon the number of powder chambers therein. ,body II is disposed an elongated pin 38 which At the lower end of the is insulated from the body II and can make contact with a spring contact 33 in the bulletnosed end I2 of the device or with a contact pin, such as the pin 32, of another sample taking tool.

When the gun body is very long, drilling the axial holes for insulating bushing 35 may be- In this case, it isl 4 sometimes advisable to make the electrical con nection between ajacent powder cartridges by passing insulated conductors through holes drilled transversely of the body, making the electrical connections on the periphery of the gun body.

Inasmuch as the bullet-nosed end I2 is in contact with the conductive liquid in the bore hole, a circuit through the various laments 2| of the cartridges can be completed by grounding one pole of a source of electrical energy or connecting it to a conducting sheath on the cable i3 and connecting the other pole to the conductor I4.

Preferably, the filaments 2I of the cartridges 20 require different current values to cause them to glow. Therefore, by applying a current tothe series of charges which is sufficient only to cause -the lowermost filament to glow, only the lowermost powder charge is caused to explode. After the gun has been fired, the conductive fluid in the bore hole will rush into the lowermost aperture I5, for example, again completing the circuit and permitting the next higher powder charge to be exploded by application of a greater current thereto.

The tool may be prepared for use by placing the cartridge 2G in the aperture I'5. The vprojectile I9 with a ring |911 thereon is then inserted into the aperture Il and a sealing ring formed of rubber or neoprene pushed into the space between the tapered portion I9b and the Wall of the enlarged aperture i'I to prevent liquid from coming into Contact with the powder charge. Also, a second sealing ring may be disposed in a groove 4I in the reduced diameter portion of the aperture I6 to prevent leakage of the bore hole liquid around the projectile I9. The cable 23 is vthen coiled around the end of the projectile I9 and secured to the gun body II, as described above. This procedure is repeated until all of the bores, or as many thereof as desired, are loaded. The whole assembly may then be lowered into the bore hole so that the lowest gun bore or aperture I5 is adjacent the formation of interest. The location of this formation can be .determined in any suitable way such as, for

example, by means of the method disclosed in the Schlumberger Patent No. Re. 20,120. l

A current of sufficiently high value is then supplied to the cartridge ignition circuit toA cause the lament in the lowermost cartridge to glow, igniting the powder and causing the"proj`ec't1le I9 to be discharged into the formation. The tool may then be raised and the next higher projectile discharged into another formation of interest.

The retrieving cable 23 in each instancewill exert a strain on the projectile as the tool is aperture.

moved along the bore hole and will withdraw the projectile from the formation together with a sample of the formation therein.

It has been found that different types of formations require different types of projectiles for taking a sample therefrom. 4Different typesof projectiles, therefore, may be provided forlus in a device of the type 'described above. i

As shown in Fig. 5, for example, a projectile 45 of tubular formation may be used which yhas an enlarged diameter flange portion 45a thereon fitting the enlarged diameter portion: I-'Iv of :the The function of the enlarged .flange 45a is similar to the function of smaller shoulder I9c and the ring IM illustrated in FigSQZan'dB,

namelm to provide a shoulder ,againstI Whichl the xplsicn "pressure can act to' propel In addition,

jectile. The forward end portion 45h of the projectile 4d is tapered to facilitate its penetration into the formation.

A modified form of projectile is shown in Fig. 6. This projectile 48 includes a smaller diameter tubular portion 46a and a larger diameter portion 45h and an abruptly tapered forward portion 48e. The large diameter portion '18h nts the interior of the large diameter portion Il of the aperture. Inasmuch as this type of projectile would tend to be retained tightly in a formation, the leading end of the projectile is provided with a cap 4'! formed of sheet metal or the like which corresponds in shape to the leading end of the projectile and has a flange 41a encircling and disposed outside the periphery of the projectile.

When this type of projectile is fired into the formation, the diameter of the hole produced corresponds to the outside diameter of the cap 41a, and thus is larger than the largest diameter of the projectile 48. The central portion of the cap il is of course frangible to permit the entry of the sample into the body of the projectile. When a strain is exerted on the projectile 46 tending to withdraw it from the formation, the projectile is freed from the peripheral remains of the cap lll and can be withdrawn readily from the formation leaving the cap il in the formation.

It will be understood, of course, that the projectiles can be modified considerably, as for example, by providing a closure or a partial closure for the rear end of the projectile in order to prevent the sample from projectile during its withdrawal from the bore hole. The projectiles may be corrugated internally or provided with core catching devices, the construction and use of which are well known in the art.

The electrical connections between the ignitiilaments of the explosive charge 29 need not be made along the axis of the gun body Il. If desired, the electrical connections can be made by means of insulated conductors extending along the side of the gun body and connected to suitable terminals on the sides of the gun body. The contacts 22 and 22a on the explosive charge may be positioned wherever convenient for making such connections.

When a plurality of the sample taking devices are connected in series, it may be desirable to provide separate firing conductors for each sample taking device or for groups of one or more of the sample taking devices. nections may be necessary there is a practical limit to ing filaments that may be successfully operated when connected in series. Thus, instead of connecting a great number of filaments in series, one conductor may be used to fire 8 or 10 projectiles, another conductor may be used to fire still another group and so on.

From the above description it will be apparent that a device has been provided which is capable of being operated to take larger samples of the formations traversed by a bore hole without increase in over-all size of the sample taking device. Moreover, the device is highly flexible in use, permitting any desired number of samples to be taken during a traverse of the bore hole.

it will be understood that the device may be provided with various types of projectiles depending upon the types of formation from which samples are to be taken and the defor the reason that the number of ignitbeing washed from the Such multiple convice may be modified in so far as the firing circuits and the size and dimensions of the partsof the device are concerned without departing from the invention. Therefore, the form of the invention described above should be considered as illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A projectile for sampling formations traversed by a bore hole comprising a tubular memer adapted to receive formation samples through its forward end and having a forward portion adjacent one end, a cylindrical opposite end portion, a circumferential shoulder intermediate said end portions extending outwardly from the cylindrical end portion, the diameter of the cylindrical end portion not exceeding the inside diameter of the circumferential shoulder, a ring of greater external diameter than said forward portion slidably mounts-fl on said cylindrical portion and engageable with said shoulder' to afford an enlarged projecting surface for impelling the projectile, said ring being initially movable with the projectile, and means attached to said cylindrical end portion whereby said projectile may be withdrawn from a formation after a sample has been obtained.

2. A projectile for sampling formations traversed by a bore hole comprising a tubular member adapted to receive formation samples through its forward end and having an externally tapered portion adjacent one end, a cylindrical opposite end portion, a circumferential shoulder intermediate said end portions, the outside diameter of the cylindrical end portion being equal to or less than the inside diameter of the shoulder portion, a ring detachably mounted adjacent said tapered portion and having a greater external diameter than the greatest diameter of said member to afford an enlarged projecting surface for impelling the projectile, said ring being initially movable with the projectile, and means attached to said cylindrical end portion whereby said projectile may be withdrawn from a formation after a sample has been obtained.

3. A projectile fo-r sampling formations traversed by a bore hole comprising a tubular member having a first cylindrical portion terminating in a relatively blunt externally tapered portion adjacent one end, a second cylindrical opposite portion of lesser diameter than said first portion and forming a shoulder therebetween, said second cylindrical portion comprising the trailing end of the projectile, a cap member detachably fitted on said tapered portion, said capi member having a peripheral portion exceeding the largest outside diameter of the projectile, and means attached to said second cylindrical portion whereby said projectile may be withdrawn from a formation after a sample has been obtained.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 424,442 Wood Mar. 25, 1890 1,892,158 Matthews Dec. 27, 1932 2,044,648 Stevens June 16, 1936 2,281,870 Cole May 5, 1942 2,288,210 Schlumberger June 30, 1942 2,410,435 Evans Nov. 5, 1946 2,441,894 Mennecier May 18, 1948 

